# Dried boxed falafel mix: not setting **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165 "2015-08-06T16:19:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/1 "2015-08-06T16:19:05Z")
Bought a box of dried falafel mix on a whim. You just add water, wait for it to set, still it into balls and fry em up. But it didn’t set. It has about the consistency of pudding out maybe even whipped cream. I can soon it, but definitely can’t roll it into balls. I’m wondering if it would work if I just spooned it into the oil. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/2 "2015-08-06T16:27:13Z")
Hard to say what kind of shape you’ll get, if it doesn’t just fall apart. Maybe stir in some kind of flour to thicken it first. How long has it been sitting? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/3 "2015-08-06T16:55:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Hard to say what kind of shape you’ll get, if it doesn’t just fall apart. Maybe stir in some kind of flour to thicken it first. How long has it been sitting? Almost two hours now. I definitely put the right amount of water in per the recipe, however maybe it was a mistake to double everything. Maybe evaporation rates don’t work right because of surface area something something something iunno. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/4 "2015-08-06T16:59:05Z")
Yeah, sometimes it’s rollable, sometimes it isn’t. It still tastes good though. FWIW, I’ve been to falafel stands where they don’t make balls. They use a syringe-thingy that makes little patties. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/5 "2015-08-06T17:12:35Z")
Haha I just gave it a try, placing a spoonful into the oil. The stuff literally just kind of gently exploded and spread out over the surface of the oil. The result, once it had been gathered up and allowed to cool a bit, tasted great. But I’m not going to be able to make the whole batch like this. Lost cause I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/6 "2015-08-06T17:19:34Z")
No, **Johnny** has a good idea, spoon it out into lightly oiled pan to make patties. Turn the heat down and let the bottom go for a while before you flip them. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/7 "2015-08-06T17:32:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > No, **Johnny** has a good idea, spoon it out into lightly oiled pan to make patties. Turn the heat down and let the bottom go for a while before you flip them. Huh you got all that from **Johnny’s** post? I missed that. 😃 But yeah I’ll give that a try. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/8 "2015-08-06T17:39:42Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Huh you got all that from **Johnny’s** post? I missed that. 😃 > > But yeah I’ll give that a try. But maybe ‘syringe’ was the wrong word. I _thought_ the device I’ve seen is like a metal [Push Up](http://images.complex.com/complex/image/upload/t_article_image/pmqgdreaz56msss6buvu.jpg), filled with falafel mix instead of sherbet. Actually, [here is a falafel scoop](http://www.amazon.com/Large-Falafel-Making-Scoop-Kitchen/dp/B00AENDCXK). The point was that falafel does not have to be rolled in balls, but is often formed into discs. But if what you have falls apart and spreads across the surface of the oil, then you can’t even make discs out of it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/9 "2015-08-06T17:58:50Z")
Assuming you don’t have more falafel mix or chickpea flour lying around, just add a bit of regular flour to it. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dried-boxed-falafel-mix-not-setting/727165/10 "2015-08-06T18:50:00Z")
Success! Dropped too-moist mix onto a thin layer of oil, cooked it kind of like a pancake or a fried egg. Crispy goodness all around.